1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to pulse generators and more particularly to such generators employing pulse shaping energy storage networks of the transmission line type capable of producing time spaced pulses by the periodic charging and discharging of the energy storage networks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the design of power conditioning apparatus of the pulser type for high energy systems operating for short term duration, the interface between the prime power and the load requires careful consideration. In the majority of cases, the power source comprises a DC source such as a battery or conventional alternator with a rectified output. The considerations of transient operation of the prime power source and the allowable peak values of voltage and current supplied by the prime power source has profound effects on the design of the prime power source. For the case of an alternator feeding into a rectifier coupled to a pulse forming network of the resonant charging type, the fact that the current on the DC side of the rectifier is time variable adds not only additional transients and heat loading of the alternator but also generates mechanical stress problems because the torque loading of the generator varies with the output power. In the case of a battery prime power source, resonant charging of a pulse forming network leads to the requirement for a battery source with larger peak values of voltage and current than would normally be required to supply the same average power into a constant load.
The following references are typical examples of periodic high voltage pulse generating circuits: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,394,389, H. W. Lord, Feb. 5, 1946; 2,433,379, M. M. Levy, et al., Dec. 30, 1947; 2,461,321, E. A. Guillemin, Feb. 8, 1949; 2,542,066, A. A. Varela, Feb. 20, 1951; 2,656,514, J. R. Perkins, et al., Oct. 20, 1953; 2,837,638, F. W. Frink, June 3, 1958; 3,185,928, M. J. Coyle, May 25, 1965; and 3,590,279, Bobby J. Thompson, et al, June 29, 1971.